


No Reward Is Worth This

by djcati



Category: CHERUB - Muchamore
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-25
Updated: 2009-12-25
Packaged: 2017-10-05 06:31:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/38749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/djcati/pseuds/djcati





	No Reward Is Worth This

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sangerin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sangerin/gifts).



This wasn't what Lauren had expected when she'd agreed to this mission.

With a grimace, she edged forward another few inches and tried to ignore the wet (and _cold_) mud plastering itself to her trousers. And her t-shirt. And her hair. And she was pretty sure it was working its way into her bra, too.

From somewhere above, she heard thumping, which was probably the roadies setting up for the next band. She turned her grimace on the large speakers several metres away. They were facing away from her ... but she still wanted to be out of here by the time the show started. Preferably on the other side of the speakers, with a can of beer and her chancing bastard of a boyfriend. _I'll keep an eye on security_. Yeah, he just liked his Diesels too much.

This was supposed to be _easy_. Their part of the mission was supposed to be surveillance only. Bit of information-gathering, lots of posing-as-innocent-teenagers.

"It might as well be a reward," Zara had told them.

"Just have to get us some info on who the dealers are working for," Zara had told them.

"MI5 are taking care of tracking the explosives," Zara had told them.

Zara could take her bloody reward and she could bloody well stick it--

Lauren's pocket vibrated. She paused, eyed her filthy hands, and decided her mobile could wait until she found a portaloo. Probably just Bethany complaining about Jake again.

"Where," she muttered as she pulled herself forward (squishing more mud into her bra), "is this stupid relay _anyway_?"

She squinted and lifted her head, but still couldn't see anything besides the supports for the stage. A little black box, that's what she was looking for. Not that she'd notice if it was covered in mud like everything else in this stupid field, but the MI5 agent had assured her it would have a little glowing display which ought to stand out in the dimness.

("Unless they've disabled it," he'd added as an afterthought.

Lauren would have punched him if the food poisoning hadn't doubled him over in that moment.)

She heard the first strummed chords from an electric guitar and winced. Hopefully it would just be soundcheck -- oh, no. There was the cheerful greeting of the stoned-out-of-his-mind lead singer. And the ridiculous drum solo introduction of the band's latest hit song. Of course.

_Come on, come on,_ she thought with another desperate look around. Little black box. It would be near cables, right? Which ... were all near the speakers now thumping out a repetitive bass line.

"Screw this," Lauren firmly told the mud; she started moving backwards at a much quicker pace. There was no way she was risking getting crushed and/or deafened for a stupid little relay that MI-bloody-5 couldn't even deal with themselves. They'd just have to use back-up plan C: the electromagnet something or other. It would disable the band's equipment, too, yes ... but as the lead guitar kicked in, Lauren figured that was probably a good thing anyway.

(Wouldn't be a disaster if the band just blew up, either. Too bad they weren't the targets.)

She reached the edge of the stage supports, crossed the blurry line between shadow and daylight, and found herself being tugged quickly to her feet by Rat. Who just as quickly let go when he saw the state of her; she glared at him.

"What took you so long?"

"What took me--" Better not shout and cause a scene, she told herself reluctantly, still glaring at him. Too many passers-by who might alert security.

Then again, they wouldn't hear her over the ridiculous noise blaring from all around.

No, she'd just kick his arse later. "Well, why don't _you_ get under there and crawl through the stinking mud and find this stupid relay, Mr _What Took You So Long_?"

Rat frowned, nose wrinkling in puzzlement. At least, Lauren assumed it was puzzlement. If he was trying to make a statement about her current odour, she wouldn't bother waiting until later to kick his arse.

"Uh," he said warily, apparently picking up on his girlfriend's hostile attitude. How perceptive of him. "Didn't you get my message?"

Lauren stared blankly at him. He slowly pointed to her trouser pocket.

"I sent you about a million," he continued as she took out her phone. "And I tried to shout you, but they were too noisy up on stage, I guess. Couldn't crouch down too much, people were staring."

_And you didn't want mud on your precious jeans,_ she added silently, scrolling through the text messages on her phone. Ten or so, all from Rat. She frowned and looked back up. "Are they doing their hi-tech Matrix thing, then?"

Rat blinked. "For what?"

"The relay! Honestly, sometimes I wonder--"

"Oh, that! No, of course not."

Lauren waited. He'd get the hint.

Eventually.

He had that super high IQ and everything, right?

... she fixed him with another glare and said, "And _why_ not?"

"Well, it doesn't exist, does it?"

"...it doesn't exist."

Rat shook his head and gave her a look as if _she_ was being the inept one. "The other agent located the stuff on the other side of the field. Different kind than they expected, so no relay required. Team's dealing with it now. I _tried_ to tell you..."

Lauren closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, then wiped mud from her face. "No relay."

"No relay."

"Totally wrong part of the field."

Rat nodded. Lauren swore that was the start of a smug smile on his face.

"But I'm still covered in mud."

"Um. Sorry."

"Sorry! Does sorry get me a shower?"

Rat shrugged and pointed to the side, where a line of portaloos stood, thankfully queueless for now. "Best I can offer you."

Lauren glowered at the pitiful blue line and started towards it. After two steps, she stopped, spun around -- and firmly pushed Rat before he could react. He landed, with some suitably-entertaining flailing, flat on his arse in the mud.

There. The mission wasn't a _total_ loss.


End file.
